Part 3

My tongue wouldn’t move in my mouth. How could I explain--to him! And his searching eyes killed any excuses. They seemed to know so much. I believe he read in my face what we had done, or rather failed to do. Standing at attention is exposure itself, or feels like it. I was only able to look back into his eyes. It was Rena who spoke for me. “Listen to me, Uncle Howard,” she said quietly, “Constable Kitt couldn’t help going. But he couldn’t help coming back, either. And it was all right my being along. He and I are engaged, and as soon as he comes out of jail, I’m going to marry him.”

“Jail?” said Frozen-face, as if he couldn’t connect.

“Absence without leave, sir,” I explained.

“You still persist in advising me how to act?” he began, and said something else I didn’t catch, for a taxicab came buzzing up and out of it hopped a mad Inspector.

“What does this mean, Sergeant-major? No car to meet me!”

“Sorry, sir. The car was in use.”

“How could it be in use? Who was using it?”

That was the big moment, with Frozen-face, looking like a piece cut off the Judgment Day, opening his jaw to pronounce hell on me. But all he said was: “The car was used in capturing these men, sir.”

The Inspector turned to look at them. “Who are they?”

“The Duff gang, sir.”

* * * * *

It was great to watch the Inspector wilt.

“The _Duff_ gang!”

“Yes sir. Captured early this morning by Constable Kitt, assisted by my niece.”

The Inspector looked at Rena and nodded approvingly.

“I was about to congratulate them, sir, when you drove up.”

“Naturally! Quite right! It isn’t every morning we arrest the Duff gang before breakfast. How was it done?”

“With your permission, sir, I shall give you the particulars later. Constable Kitt and I had best march the prisoners to the guardroom now.”

I stood there dumb, shaken. To think he had bust his own principles and taken our side! Not a word about deserting, or the rest! There wasn’t the power in me to thank him as we locked up the prisoners, and he didn’t give me the chance. He clicked back into being sergeant-major so quick that I couldn’t believe that he’d just been human, except for the results....

Sorry. There’s first post sounding, and no time to tell you the rest. What do you suppose Frozen-face tried to do? Resign. Asked to be let out. Said he wasn’t fit to keep discipline as he should, but wouldn’t explain. White, you see, if frozen solid. Of course they wouldn’t let him go. I got my stripes out of it, and the reward, both on his recommendation, as I found out. So you don’t wonder I’ll not stand for the youngsters yapping too loud just because he’s acted as a sergeant-major should.

What’d Rena get out of it, you say? Why not step around to the house and take a look at our boy? Then you could ask her.

[Transcriber’s Note: This story appeared in the August 1929 issue of _Blue Book_ magazine.]